Why Should A Teenager Waste Their Time?

Katherine Dettwyler’s work in the field while she was in West Africa was exciting, filled with humor and even terrifying at times. She dealt with seeing various life-threatening diseases that affected the lives of children her daughter’s age, as well as adults. Dettwyler found that almost all of the people she came in contact with were completely oblivious and uninformed of the ways to prevent diseases such as malaria, Schistosomiasis, malnutrition and other infectious diseases unique to their region of the world. In her book, Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa (1994), Dettwyler discusses tons of the health problems she comes across, in

For example, “Hospitals have seen an influx of patients suffering from preventable diseases, the aid group said”. These preventable diseases can include diarrhea, typhoid, hepatitis A, and most commonly malaria. Two out of every five children survive into their adulthood; because of unsanitary conditions, these diseases which are not prominent in well developed countries, have pronounced themselves as some of the most dangerous diseases in the country. This decrease of sanitation can be partially blamed on the ongoing war in the Congo. The rebel groups use children soldiers to fight their opponents. Furthermore, hospitals reported that, “Since government troops and rebels began clashing in the volatile eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ‘the numbers arriving at the hospital have gone through the roof,’ said Dr. Louis Kamate of the Virunga Referral Hospital in Goma”. Conflicts and poverty have been proven to be the main factors of child death in the Congo. In order for the society to be successful, they must put an end to this terrible aspect of the country.

Free the Children started after Craig read a story of one boy that he couldn’t ignore. In the morning, after flipping through pages, he found a story of one boy his age named Iqbal in search of comics. He was born in South Asia and was sold to slavery at the age of four. In his life, he spent six years working in the field of carpet-weaving loom. As a child himself he was shocked to hear this story; so he decided to defend children’s rights. He gathered a small group of his gr. 7 classmates from Thorn hill, Ontario, school and “Free The Children” was born. Today, everyday free the children grows and every child receive its full potential. There are 2.3 million youths are involved in this organization and it had work in 45 countries since it started. Today,

A Heart for the Work: Journeys Through an African Medical School by Claire L. Wendland is both an first hand account of time spent in an African medical school and hospital as well as a critique on Western medical practices. Dr. Wendland, an accomplished anthropologist and physician, provides a first hand account of her time in a Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Through this account she provides insight into the complete journey a student must take to become a doctor in conditions much different than our own. These insights and research are used to argue that medicine, or biomedicine as it is called, is part of a cultural system and is predicated on the cultural ideals and resources of developed nations. Wendland uses the differences in moral order, technology, and resources between the Malawian culture and our own culture to provide evidence for her main argument.

Battling disease and personal connection, the life of a soon to be doctor can come with many opportunities, as well as regretful decisions. The Lassa Ward, a memoir told by Ross I. Donaldson, tells the true story of a medical student who embarks on a journey to Western Africa to face one of the most fatal diseases in the world. Published by St. Martin's Press, in 2009, in the city of New York, this story takes place in the early 2000s across many villages and refugee camps in Sierra Leone. The struggle of disease, differing cultural beliefs, and heartbreak due to a loss from death are the main topics of the book, although Donaldson does not fail to intertwine the issue revolving around the Rebel United Front in Liberia. In this moving book,

Sports are healthy and great for a student to be playing and represent the school they go to. Sports are fun and I personally recommend people to play them; however, focus on education first. Most schools use a system where if a student is ineligible if he/she has an E in any class. If they are ineligible then they do not get to play in the sport they are in until the get a passing grade. This is a good system that schools use to make students get a passing grade in order for them to play. However, this system is used all the time with multiple students and its working, but it repeats all the time. Most students just want a passing grade, so if a student goes from an E to a D- it's a good thing, however, it will not make the school rank higher

I enjoyed week four’s readings because they looked at the historical context leading up to what we today recognize as ignorant discrimination against individuals with HIV/AIDS. What stood out most to me, particularly in the Kiruthu et al article, was how the way we in the West centered (and continues to centre) ourselves affects the way we perceive the world. In the Smith and Whiteside article, the authors illustrated a widespread belief that too much money was going toward combating HIV/AIDS and not to other – in their words – more important medical, social, and economic issues that took precedence over the dwindling incidence of AIDS. They said this, the authors point out, as a mere 6% of money spent globally

I moved from New York to an impoverished village in India during my pre-adolescent age. There, my life saw juxtaposition like no other. From air-conditioned, colorful children wards where the nurse gave you “I was brave!” stickers (despite you throwing a fit) and lollipops, I saw children screaming in agony as crude and outdated procedures such as lobotomies were used to treat relatively

Scrambling for Africa takes the reader through Crane’s journey from her first interaction with an HIV/AIDS patient in

My interest in Infectious disease began even before entering residency half way across the world in the unique country of Nepal. Nepal is rich in natural beauty with breath taking landscapes, diverse culture but is also one of the most impoverished. I had the privilege to witness first hand how the dedicated physicians living there do the most with less in one of the most remotest parts of Nepal. Majority of the cases were infectious in nature with differentials including organisms not as prevalent in the US: tuberculosis, typhoid, dengue, malaria, brucellosis and leptospirosis to name a few. What the physicians lacked in resources, they made up their close attention to detail in both the history and the thoroughness of their physical exam. My interest further developed during my residency years where I had the pleasure of working with seasoned infectious disease attendings and was exposed to an array of pathology… even seeing a handful of extremely rare

What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give younger siblings or friends (assuming they would listen to you)?

In the film, Born into Brothels (2004), British filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman setout to present a perspective from the children of sex workers living in Red Light District of Sonagachi, Calcutta. This film, however incidental, demonstrate single narratives on the basis of morality, sexuality, and preconceived notions about the third world. Their attempt at filming an impartial ethnographic film that spoke of the true nature of life as a child in the Red Light District of Calcutta failed from their Western gaze and lack of insight about the community of Sonagachi to contextualize how the Red Light District and the poverty surrounding are a result of globalization. Acknowledging the “before” that Briski and Kauffman could never understand about the Red Light District because of their limited Western understanding about the third world, would’ve resulted in a more inclusive look into the subjective perspectives of the children. Instead, using footage and still pictures of the dirty allies, children covered in what seems to be oil, naked children chained like animals in a zoo, etc, as an aesthetic (lens) used to reproduce hegemonic narratives about the third world and objectively reflect reality. Additionally, these shots separate the people of the Red Light District from Westerners and establishes and “us” and a “them”, them being objects and not full established subjects.

Although volunteers for Medecins Sans Frontiers are commonly stationed in various countries with a dire healthcare worker shortage, regions with refugee camps and internally displaced persons are also a focus for this organization. Refugees and internally displaced persons often come from war torn regions and live in close confines with poor sanitation and limited resources. These living situations become a breeding ground for diseases and other health issues like malnutrition, yet the individuals lack access to any sort of healthcare. The organization also responds quickly when regions suddenly experience an increased need for healthcare, for example in times of an epidemic or a natural disaster. Medecins Sans Frontiers’ involvement across its varying regions and their attempt to address a broad spectrum of healthcare truly show how altruistic the organization is to individuals regardless of race, gender, or religion.

Perhaps the most disturbing, yet intriguing parts of the film were the interviews with the Cambodian male clients who justify their desire for sex with young virgin girls because of their cultural beliefs about maintaining their youthful appearance and health. Participating in sexual activities with virgins is also believed to be a way of avoiding the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The film delicately explains the cycle of young girls who are destined to remain in prostitution because there are no other options for them to earn money once they are forced into the

"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more." No one will ever forget the simple plea made by the poor hungry little orphan named Oliver Twist. Nobody will be able to omit from his mind the painful blows that Oliver suffered. Nor will anyone cease to recall what it felt like to be young and helpless in a much bigger and stronger world. In an effort to bring the ostracized poverty situation of so many children to the public's attention, Charles Dickens wrote an unforgettable book to touch the hearts of millions. Whether he knew it then or not, he was also bringing a new connotation and worldwide innuendo to the term "child labor".